21 Helpful and Healing Gifts for Diabetics

Everyone loves to curl up for a night on the couch with some munchies and a great selection of movies. Give this movie bucket to your friends or family members with diabetes so they don’t have to worry about what they’re eating: they can just dig right in.

Let her be defiant in the face of her diabetes with this super cool pouch. Perfectly sized for all the things she needs to carry, such as her insulin, delivery device, needles, monitor, glucose, and testing strips, this linen bag has a waterproof lining and is totally empowering (if a little risqué).

If you thought giving chocolates to a diabetic was out of the question, think again. This elegant box of decadent Belgian chocolate truffles is perfect as they’re completely sugar free and are sweetened with Maltitol, instead. Handmade with fruit and nuts, they look and taste just as good as any other high end truffles.

Whether they’re newly diagnosed or need a diet overhaul, this Complete Cookbook will ensure they can enjoy a plethora of delicious meals and snacks that will allow them to feel totally unrestricted. Covering breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, there are also loads of snacks included to help their levels stay stable.

This Medical Alert Travel Cooler will make an excellent gift for diabetics who need to take their insulin on the road. The attractive flask comes with a removable cooler bottle that fits inside leaving room for a number of insulin vials or pens, ensuring they stay at the ideal temperature.

A gift basket is always a welcome gift, whether it’s to say ‘get well soon’ or simply ‘I’m thinking of you’. This attractive hamper makes sure diabetics don’t have to miss out. Filled with sugar free sweet and savory snacks like nuts, sausage, and chocolate, the attractive basket can also be used again.

Portion control is essential for all of us to ensure we remain healthy, but it’s even more important for someone with diabetes. This colorful plate is divided into sections for non-starchy vegetables, protein, grains & fruit, and dairy, and comes with a helpful guide to nutrition for diabetics and pre-diabetics.

In an emergency it’s vital that medics are made aware of any medical conditions, and this Medical Alert Bracelet is a simple but stylish way to ensure that happens. With a pretty pink and blue silicone strap, this bracelet comes with a stainless steel tag that will let them know they’re diabetic.

A massage is a great way to end a busy day, but for diabetics it can really improve their overall wellbeing. These leg massagers are worn like boots and deliver optional heat and soothing, effective strokes and kneading to calves and feet, improving circulation and easing tired limbs.

Carrying an insulin bottle around can be a nerve-racking experience, because anything made of glass is prone to breaking, and that would be disastrous. This pack of five protector cases will keep bottles safe and protected, while the open top allows for needle insertion without the need to remove the case.

Feeling cold is just one of the many ways that diabetes can affect a person, so it pays for them to have something warm to slip on. This hoodie is a fun way for them to layer up as it comes with a silly pun about their condition across the front.

Getting in shape is a big deal when you’re battling diabetes. A pullup bar is an essential piece of home equipment. This DIY shows you how to make a bomb-proof pullup bar from someone who likes to keep it old school and challenge themselves at home. Start with one, work up to ten—and you’ll get stronger every day.

For diabetics, sodas are an absolute no-go. The question is, how to make a refreshing drink that tastes great? It’s boring to drink water all day—so this citrus press is the answer. It’s a wonderful, diabetic-friendly way to make a delicious beverage they can drink all day with a clear conscience.

When you’re in a hurry setting out the plates for dinner, then serving a home-cooked meal, this portion control tool is a must-have. There’s no thought necessary. Put it on the plate, fill the spaces with the diabetes-friendly food you’ve cooked, and you’re done.

You don’t have to start from scratch when cooking for someone with diabetes—scratch that. It’s best if you do start from scratch, and understand that almost all traditional comfort foods, except for the sugar-heavy desserts, are easy to tweak for the special diet.

The circulation problems that come with diabetes can mean that diabetics get chilly: brrrrrr! A soft, fuzzy, cashmere scarf will keep that winter, early spring, and fall chill off. And even better, they can look super-swank and fashionable at the same time.

A FitBit is ideal for diabetics who need to keep track of their physical activity. They can just put it on in the morning, make sure they keep up their new, active lifestyle, and check their data at the end of the day. And if they realize they have some ground to make up if work or life keeps them desk-bound, they know exactly how much they have to do to hit their targets.

This compact insulin supply organizer is perfectly designed for the busy diabetic on the go. It’s got space for an insulin pen, syringes, testing paper, and meter. It’s insulate to keep the insulin cool, which is essential for health and safety, and it zips down to a convenient travel size.

It’s not true that diabetics can’t eat sweet things—they just need the right kind of sweet things. Like yummy fruit! Not only do fruits contain the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy diet, they’re the perfect dessert for someone on a special diet. This slicer makes it easy to prepare a great fruit dessert for diabetics.

In the US, one of our big problems—and one of the biggest contributors to the rise in diabetes in recent decades—is the fact that we’ve become accustomed to ridiculously large portions at home and in restaurants. This set of storage bins helps diabetics plan and keep the right portions fresh and ready to eat.

There’s no need to slave all day over a hot stove to make a delicious, homemade, diabetic friendly meal. This cookbook is filled with great ideas that take less than a half an hour to make. It’s approved by the American Diabetes Association, and makes the perfect starter for someone who’s at the beginning of their journey and may feel overwhelmed.

Some people—well, some frogs—lament that it’s not easy being green. How wrong they are! This gift for diabetics makes chopping salad greens and healthy fruits ridiculously easy. All the chopping and tossing happens right in the bowl, and then voila: instant healthy meal with no hassle.

Chop it, clean it, rinse it, spin it. Throw it in a bowl, dress it, eat it. That’s the fast and easy way to make the healthy kind of salad diabetics need. This salad spinner makes all of that simple, and it collapses to a convenient small size so it won’t take up too much space in the cupboard.

Free weights are great because they emphasize the use of more than one joint at a time, giving full functional strength across a wide range of movement. Make this set of free weights for a diabetic friend starting out on their strength training regimen. What do you need? A Ziploc bag, and some rocks!

Fitness bands are a great way to do strength training that’s low-impact and easy to pull off at home. And the great thing about bands is they work both ways, giving muscles a double dose of work with each repetition. Follow this simple DIY using brass rings and a bicycle inner tube, and give the gift of at-home strength training.

It’s a common misconception that a diabetes diagnosis means that life changes so much that it dominates your every waking moment. While the learning curve at the beginning is steep, this book offers a four step process to lower the highs, limit the lows, and learn to reclaim the joy in your life.

Getting healthy and starting a fitness routine is a big part of the lifestyle changes that are required after a diabetes diagnosis. Not everyone wants to join a fitness club, go running, or ever take walks around the neighborhood. This beginner’s yoga kit has everything someone needs to get going in the privacy of their own home.

Cooking with diabetes has to be more specific than “a dash of this, some of that, a bunch of this other, then sweeten to taste.” Knowledge and control is the entire key. This set of magnetic measuring spoons makes a great gift for diabetics who love cooking and want to get all the spice amounts just right.

Shine a light on diabetes! This key chain scores the trifecta. It holds your keys, has a flashlight when you need it, and raises awareness about diabetes all that the same time. It’s made from machined aircraft aluminum and cranks out ten lumens of white LED light for up to eight hours.

Yoga equipment doesn’t have to all special and exclusive. Everyone can make a yoga mat to practice stretching and relaxing at home. This four step tutorial is quick and easy to follow. At the end of the process, you’ll have a very cute and functional yoga mat to give as a very thoughtful gift for a yoga-loving diabetic.